Mr. Paul Savage:

As I said earlier, the ACRES scheme as it stands now is very different from any environmental scheme that went before it. It is complex and there are a number of new elements compared to what was there previously in GLAS. There are a number of different components that have to be implemented in parallel and also processed in parallel in terms of making payments. Yes, we have had long experience of operating EU-funded schemes and, yes, we have had previous environmental schemes, but those environmental schemes and all of the schemes we operate across the Department evolve over time, progress, change, adapt and respond to the pressures and demands from farmers on the ground. When we do that, when we change the emphasis, when we increase the ambition, as we are this time around, it means that we have to change our systems and adapt our processes accordingly. We are effectively starting from scratch each time.